1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to user interfaces for interacting with a computer and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for presenting Boolean and logical decisions to users in a graphical, intuitive format.
2. The Background Art
In the technology associated with computation, and in mathematical systems that are adaptable to implementation in computers, the concepts of operations and operators are well known. Some types of operators include logical operators for indicating a logical operation, relation, or decision. Mathematical operators including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, powers, and the like, are used in accounting, science, engineering and mathematics. Boolean operators provide a method of communication of set information about sets. For example, Venn diagrams are often used in set theory to express the concepts of inclusion, exclusion, union, intersection, and so forth among sets.
As computer use has increased, more functionality becomes more transparent to a user. Therefore, many users are adept at using computers without understanding the underlying operational concepts, mathematics, logic, and so forth. Nevertheless, users want to be able to use the capacity of computers fully.
One example in which users have difficulty directing a computer is in the area of the order of operations. For example, many applications for computers rely on search engines, filters, and the like. Search engines and filters may sort, select, sift or the like to find or present to a user certain information meeting selected criteria.
However, in mathematics, the underlying theory of sets, filters, and searches, and the order in which operations are executed, affect the result. Therefore, users must provide certain information that will determine the order of operations.
User interfaces for determining the order of operations have traditionally been difficult for users not skilled in mathematics. Moreover, the typical methodology for establishing the order of operations is a combination of defaults, augmented by the use of parentheses for grouping operations in order of priority of execution. Even users considered sophisticated in mathematical concepts may find burdensome the task of keeping track of long strings of characters containing nested sets of parentheses. Moreover, mixtures of mathematical operations from basic algebra and Boolean algebra may be very confusing.
What is needed is a method and apparatus providing a user interface that is easily (even intuitively) understood and interpreted by a user. An intuitive interface, requiring minimal documentation, that represents to a user graphical images reflecting the desires of a user, is consistent within itself, is relatable to mathematical concepts, and provides natural language feedback to a user is needed. A graphical user interface that is intuitive, verifiable, and easily edited by a user is very desirable. Such a system, offering a broad and powerful range of options in operators, ordering of operations, and combinations of logical and Boolean operators, without either overly restricting or overwhelming a user, is needed.
Unique and consistent symbology or graphics are needed in order to provide distinctions recognizable by a user and bound to mathematical operations and concepts are needed. Several popular software products provide only a single Boolean operator, of only a single sense (OR versus AND), and that is implicit, not controllable. Thus, the user has many options foreclosed. Many preparation interfaces associated with commercially available databases and search engines rely on character strings of commands, arguments, Boolean operators, logical operators, and delimiters (e.g. parentheses). Those strings take large amounts of time to construct, confuse even sophisticated users, and resemble scientific programming more closely than they do human thought and communication methods.